[Don't just read this list and discard the rest of the article. Further down shows why some of the foods on this list may not be so safe. I don't remember where I got this article from...possibly from Six-Wise]
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories in the Guide to Pesticides, the following twelve foods had the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. Consequently, they are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume:
* Broccoli
* Eggplant
* Cabbage
* Banana
* Kiwi
* Asparagus
* Sweet peas (frozen)
* Mango
* Pineapple
* Sweet corn (frozen)
* Avocado
* Onion
The biggest study ever into organic food – a four-year EU funded project called the Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) project – found that organic food is FAR more nutritious than ordinary produce, and can help improve your health and longevity. You're likely to hear more about this again, once they publish their findings in full, which is expected to occur by the end of this year.
This study may have considerable impact, as its findings may even overturn government advice – at least in the U.K. – which currently states that eating organic food is no more than a lifestyle choice.
For example, this study found that:
* Organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants
* Organic produce had higher levels of beneficial minerals like iron and zinc
* Milk from organic herds contained up to 90 percent more antioxidants
The researchers even went so far as to say that eating organic foods can help to increase the nutrient intake of people who don't eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Food grown in healthier soil, with natural fertilizers and no chemicals, simply has to be more nutritious. It is common knowledge -- though knowledge that is greatly suppressed in the United States. But science is catching up, making suppression of this fact more difficult to sustain.
A 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, for example, found that organic foods are better for fighting cancer. And in 2005, scientists found that, compared to rats that ate conventional diets, organically fed rats experienced various health benefits, including:
* Improved immune system status
* Better sleeping habits
* Less weight and were slimmer than rats fed other diets
* Higher vitamin E content in their blood (for organically fed rats)
Does this mean that you should ditch all of your conventional produce and meat, and only buy certified organic foods? Well, yes … and no.
What Should You Buy Organic?
Aside from the fact that organic food contains higher levels of vital nutrients, organic foods are also lower in other residues and compounds that are seriously detrimental to your health, such as herbicide- and pesticide residues.
Additionally, the use of pesticides and herbicides in conventional farming practices contaminates groundwater, ruins the soil structure and promotes erosion. They've also been linked to the mysterious "colony collapse disorder" that threatens pollinating honeybees around the world. With that in mind, buying or growing as much organic food as possible is not only best for your health, but for the health of the entire planet.
That said, however, certain fruits and vegetables are subjected to far heavier pesticide use than others. And with food prices rising, many are looking for ways to buy the healthiest foods possible at the lowest cost. One such way would be to focus on purchasing certain organic items, while "settling" for others that are conventionally-grown.
This is where the EWG study of pesticide residue on produce really helps.
Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, these 12 fruits and vegetables had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organic:
* Peaches
* Apples
* Sweet bell peppers
* Celery
* Nectarines
* Strawberries
* Cherries
* Lettuce
* Grapes (imported)
* Pears
* Spinach
* Potatoes
Conventionally-grown strawberries, in particular, were found to be highly toxic due to a poisonous blend of pesticides in a previous 2007 EU study as well.
But be VERY careful as the list above is for fruits and vegetables. Non-organic meats have far higher concentrations of pesticides than all of the fruits and vegetables. And the highest concentration of pesticides is actually in non-organic butter.
So if you can only buy one organic food item it should be butter. Next priority would be meats and once those are addressed, you will want to focus on the fruit and vegetable list above.
Locally-grown organics are your absolute best bet, but bear in mind that many times buying locally-grown food is your best choice even if it's grown conventionally, as the environmental impact of shipping organic produce across the globe can cancel out many its benefits. Organic farming standards are also questionable in many parts of the world.
These Conventionally-Grown Foods are Low in Pesticide Residue -- But Watch Out For GMO Varieties!
While you may have heard about the most common GMO food sources, such as corn, many people are clueless about JUST HOW MUCH of your produce is now available in GMO varieties. And, perhaps even worse, just how many deliberate GMO field trials are actually going on, all across the world.
A perfect example of the repercussions of this practice can be seen in Hawaii, where non-GMO papaya seed supplies are now so seriously contaminated by GMO seeds that at least 50 percent of organic seeds test positive for GMO!
That means you have a greater than 50/50 chance of buying GMO even when buying organic Hawaiian papaya…
Although the U.S. does not require GMOs to be labeled, you can still find out whether or not your produce is genetically engineered, by looking at its PLU code. For example:
* A conventionally grown product carries a 4-digit PLU code (Ex: conventionally grown banana: 4011)
* An organic product carries a 5-digit code, starting with the number 9: (Ex: organic banana: 94011)
* A genetically engineered (GE or GMO) product has a 5-digit code, starting with the number 8: (Ex: GE banana: 84011)
Here are a few other fruits that are LOW in pesticide residue, and therefore good candidates to purchase as conventionally-grown, however, double-check to make sure you're not buying a GMO variety.
* Avocado – A new GMO avocado variety is scheduled to be introduced this year that is immune to "stress" and pests, per an Indian state report published in March, 2008.
* Bananas – The first GMO banana with extra genes that increase its levels of pro-vitamin A and iron is being unleashed in Australian field trials this year. At Cornell University, researchers are also working to develop a banana that carries the hepatitis B vaccine.
* Pineapple -- GMO pineapples, designed to produce greater levels of proteins, vitamins and sugars may already be on the market. Australia applied for pineapple into environment all the way back in 2002. The pineapple is called "Smooth Cayenne," which has delayed flowering and herbicide resistance. It also contains the tobacco acetolactate synthase gene (suRB) from Nicotiana tabacum.
* Kiwi -- The transgenic variety of kiwi fruit is the Actinidia deliciosa from Italy.
Remember, if you can't afford to purchase all organic food, at least aim to buy produce that has a lower toxic load and is non-GMO.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Can the sun cause skin rash?
Lack of essential fatty acids and antioxidants can cause skin rash from the sun. SPF suntan lotion is toxic and compounds the problem.
Recorded by David J. Getoff, CTN, CCN, FAAIM, Vice President PPNF.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN (8.1 MB - Run Time = 23 Min 28 Sec)
http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/ppnf_speaks_out.htm
Recorded by David J. Getoff, CTN, CCN, FAAIM, Vice President PPNF.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN (8.1 MB - Run Time = 23 Min 28 Sec)
http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/ppnf_speaks_out.htm
Pillows – a hot bed of fungal spore
from HSI:
"Pillows – a hot bed of fungal spores" is the somewhat threatening title of a discussion in the Allergies forum. And while you may not want to even think about what really goes on in your pillows, asthma patients and people with weak immune systems need to be aware of how to avoid problems caused by fungal spores.
An HSI member named BaronVonLucis starts the thread off with a press release from the University of Manchester where researchers examined samples from feather and synthetic pillows. Four to 16 different species of fungus were detected. Synthetic pillows were particularly vulnerable to Aspergillus fumigatus, a species of fungal spores that can trigger disease and create a condition known as Aspergillosis, which prompts infection and aggravates asthma.
The press release is followed by this: "Question from the Baron: What would be good way to disinfect pillow? Soak with CS or GSE [colloidal silver / grapefruit seed extract]?"
Billy: "After reading this I soaked my pillow case and pillow liner in CS and GSE and hung them out in the sun. My pillow is the memory foam type and would take forever to dry. I may just spray it with the disinfectants. I hope this helps my asthma."
Five days later, Billy posted this follow up: "It may be a coincidence but after I soaked my pillow case & liner in CS & GSE and after encasing my pillow & mattress in zip-up bags, I'm now off all asthma meds."
Jo UK: "This must be why most Europeans put their duvets and pillows out of the window each morning - sunlight and fresh air are the best cleaning agents for bedding."
Naturalway: "My grandmother always put the bedding out in the sun. Also, she had a dryer but always hung the clothes out. She said the sun killed germs. I've been hanging my clothes out in the sun, instead of using the dryer, as well as the bedding. Guess I'll put the pillows out, too."
Ruth: "I was told by an allergist (old school) 15 years ago that putting my son's pillow and stuffed animals in the freezer for 8 -12 hours would kill the dust mites. You'd think this would also kill the fungi as well."
Jerry: "We have used the Medibed pillow and mattress cover for a couple of years now and they are excellent. They provide a barrier between you and the mattress (and pillow). They go on underneath your sheets and pillow cases and you just take them off every three months and wash them. Dust mites and their feces are a bigger problem than people realize. Oprah even had a show about it a while back."
Leppert: "After this thread's reminder I washed my down pillow in hot water (front loading machine) with a dropperful of Citricidal GSE, one scoop of Tide, and two full scoops of Oxyclean. I put on the longest cycle. I used vinegar in a couple extra rinses. It turned out really great."
"Pillows – a hot bed of fungal spores" is the somewhat threatening title of a discussion in the Allergies forum. And while you may not want to even think about what really goes on in your pillows, asthma patients and people with weak immune systems need to be aware of how to avoid problems caused by fungal spores.
An HSI member named BaronVonLucis starts the thread off with a press release from the University of Manchester where researchers examined samples from feather and synthetic pillows. Four to 16 different species of fungus were detected. Synthetic pillows were particularly vulnerable to Aspergillus fumigatus, a species of fungal spores that can trigger disease and create a condition known as Aspergillosis, which prompts infection and aggravates asthma.
The press release is followed by this: "Question from the Baron: What would be good way to disinfect pillow? Soak with CS or GSE [colloidal silver / grapefruit seed extract]?"
Billy: "After reading this I soaked my pillow case and pillow liner in CS and GSE and hung them out in the sun. My pillow is the memory foam type and would take forever to dry. I may just spray it with the disinfectants. I hope this helps my asthma."
Five days later, Billy posted this follow up: "It may be a coincidence but after I soaked my pillow case & liner in CS & GSE and after encasing my pillow & mattress in zip-up bags, I'm now off all asthma meds."
Jo UK: "This must be why most Europeans put their duvets and pillows out of the window each morning - sunlight and fresh air are the best cleaning agents for bedding."
Naturalway: "My grandmother always put the bedding out in the sun. Also, she had a dryer but always hung the clothes out. She said the sun killed germs. I've been hanging my clothes out in the sun, instead of using the dryer, as well as the bedding. Guess I'll put the pillows out, too."
Ruth: "I was told by an allergist (old school) 15 years ago that putting my son's pillow and stuffed animals in the freezer for 8 -12 hours would kill the dust mites. You'd think this would also kill the fungi as well."
Jerry: "We have used the Medibed pillow and mattress cover for a couple of years now and they are excellent. They provide a barrier between you and the mattress (and pillow). They go on underneath your sheets and pillow cases and you just take them off every three months and wash them. Dust mites and their feces are a bigger problem than people realize. Oprah even had a show about it a while back."
Leppert: "After this thread's reminder I washed my down pillow in hot water (front loading machine) with a dropperful of Citricidal GSE, one scoop of Tide, and two full scoops of Oxyclean. I put on the longest cycle. I used vinegar in a couple extra rinses. It turned out really great."
Why are Babies Being Born Toxic?
Why are Babies Being Born Toxic …
and What Does This Mean for YOU and Your Family?
by www.SixWise.com
and What Does This Mean for YOU and Your Family?
by www.SixWise.com
Babies, who represent what is most innocent and pure about humanity, are being exposed to high levels of chemicals while still in the womb. Sadly, this chemical exposure leads to babies being born toxic with greatly heightened potential to develop chronic diseases much earlier in life.
EWG’s study found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in babies’ cord blood, including pesticides, consumer product ingredients and wastes from burning coal, gasoline andgarbage. Also found in the babies’ cord blood samples were:
- Eight perfluorochemicals used as stain and oil repellants in fast food packaging, clothes and textiles
- The Teflon chemical PFOA, which has been called a likely human carcinogen by the EPA's Science Advisory Board, was among the eight perfluorochemicals detected.
- Dozens of widely used brominated flame retardants and their toxic by-products
- Numerous pesticides
- 180 cause cancer in humans or animals
- 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system
- 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests
EWG further shared their shocking findings with the data that follows:
Chemicals and pollutants detected in human umbilical cord blood:
- Mercury (Hg) -- tested for 1, found 1
Pollutant from coal-fired power plants, mercury-containing products, and certain industrial processes. Accumulates in seafood. Harms brain development and function.
- Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) -- tested for 18, found 9
Pollutants from burning gasoline and garbage. Linked to cancer. Accumulates in food chain.
- Polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans (PBDD/F) -- tested for 12, found 7
Contaminants in brominated flame retardants. Pollutants and byproducts from plastic production and incineration. Accumulate in food chain. Toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system
- Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) -- tested for 12, found 9
Active ingredients or breakdown products of Teflon, Scotchgard, fabric and carpet protectors, food wrap coatings. Global contaminants. Accumulate in the environment and the food chain. Linked to cancer, birth defects, and more.
- Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and furans (PCDD/F) -- tested for 17, found 11
Pollutants, by-products of PVC production, industrial bleaching, and incineration. Cause cancer in humans. Persist for decades in the environment. Very toxic to developing endocrine (hormone) system.
- Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) -- tested for 28, found 21
DDT, chlordane and other pesticides. Largely banned in the U.S. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain, to man. Cause cancer and numerous reproductive effects.
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) -- tested for 46, found 32
Flame retardant in furniture foam, computers, and televisions. Accumulates in the food chain and human tissues. Adversely affects brain development and the thyroid.
- Polychlorinated Naphthalenes (PCNs) -- tested for 70, found 50
Wood preservatives, varnishes, machine lubricating oils, waste incineration. Common PCB contaminant. Contaminate the food chain. Cause liver and kidney damage.
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) -- tested for 209, found 147
Industrial insulators and lubricants. Banned in the U.S. in 1976. Persist for decades in the environment. Accumulate up the food chain, to man. Cause cancer and nervous system problems.
Babies are Extremely Vulnerable to Chemical Exposures
A 1993 report from the National Academy of Sciences explained just why children are so at risk from exposures to environmental chemicals:
- A developing child's chemical exposures are greater pound-for-pound than those of adults.
- An immature, porous blood-brain barrier allows greater chemical exposures to the developing brain.
- Children have lower levels of some chemical-binding proteins, allowing more of a chemical to reach "target organs."
- A baby's organs and systems are rapidly developing, and thus are often more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposure.
- Systems that detoxify and excrete industrial chemicals are not fully developed.
- The longer future life span of a child compared to an adult allows more time for adverse effects to arise.
Potential Health Effects to Early Chemical Exposures
No one knows for sure what the result of these toxic exposures will be, however there are already signs that signal the dangers. For instance:
- Kids who were conceived in June, July or August have, on average, test scores for math and language that are 1 percent to 1.5 percent lower than scores of kids who were conceived during other months. Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine found this correlation is due to the increased pesticide exposure the fetus receives during the summer months. Aside from lower test scores, birth defects are also more common between April and July, as are premature births.
- Girls appear to be reaching puberty at younger and younger ages, and studies suggest that environmental chemicals that mimic hormones might be involved in this phenomenon. Specifically, those chemicals include DDE, a breakdown of the pesticide DDT, and compounds used to make plastics, including bisphenol A, or BPA, andphthalates.
- A study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that babies born to mothers who live near landfills have a greater risk of birth defects.
“As a Rule”: What is good for a pregnant mother and her baby is good for us all!
What Can You do to Lower Your Chemical Exposure and Help Detox Those You’ve Already Had?
There are many strategies available to help you keep your chemical exposure to a minimum, both in the immediate future and the long term:
- Buy organic produce, meats, eggs and dairy products as much as possible to reduce pesticide exposure.
- Eliminate chemical cleaners from your home.
- Use safe, natural brands of cosmetics and other toiletries. Most health food stores carry chemical-free varieties of everything from shave cream to moisturizing lotion.
- Replace the need and cost for most household toxic chemical cleaners
- Use proper precautions, including masks, gloves, protective clothing and adequate ventilation, when exposure to chemicals cannot be avoided.
- Avoid using synthetic air fresheners, laundry detergents and fabric softeners,
- Choose glass storage containers for your food and drinks when possible, and avoid heating your food in plastic containers or covered in plastic wrap.
- Be especially diligent in avoiding chemicals, such as paint, new carpeting (which outgases chemicals), pesticides, hair color, etc., while pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Avoid using synthetic pesticides in your home or yard.
- Dispose of chemicals properly to reduce environmental contamination.
- Filter your home's air to remove airborne pollutants.
- Water R/O or spring--not in plastic bottles
How to Detox Toxins in Your Body Right NowAt Sixwise we highly recommend that you use HMD™ (Heavy Metal Detox), the natural oral formula that helps to effectively eliminate heavy metals from your body, without any side effects.
HMD™ is actually the ONLY chelator that has undergone a $1 million, three-year double-blind placebo-controlled research trials with several hundred people! During these three years over 25 different natural products and combinations were tried but the synergistic components of HMD™ were the only ones that worked for all metals tested. It presently has a worldwide patent-pending.
Dr. George John Georgiou -- HMD™ Inventor and worldwide Patent holder -- has 9 degrees and diplomas, including two doctorates and has been researching natural heavy metal chelators for a number of years, after he discovered that he became ill himself with mercury poisoning after replacing 12 amalgam fillings with composites.
After a number of years of searching, Dr. Georgiou discovered a unique synergistic formula comprising three natural components: Chlorella Growth Factor, Cilantro or the herb Coriandrum sativum and a homaccord of Chlorella. None of these natural products worked when tested individually, but when combined there was a “magic” synergy that eliminated a large number of toxic metals, including the ones mentioned here.It is not only a very powerful chelator of toxic metals, but a very gentle one too. It has been tried and tested in many thousands of people worldwide, including children with autism, with no side effects when used at the correct dosage. It has therefore been dubbed “The Gentle Chelator.”
Important Note for Pregnant Women and Women Trying to ConceiveDr. Georgiou advises AGAINST using any type of chelator, even the gentle HMD™, when you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as the mobilization of metals in the mother will go through the placenta into the baby. It is recommended that women detoxify before pregnancy and after breastfeeding finishes -- you can then give the baby a couple of drops of HMD to help the little one detoxify too.
Due to many requests we are providing you more specific links to the DrHMD.com line of products. Click here to learn more about: DrHMD.com ULTIMATE DETOX PROTOCOL.
Recommended Reading
How Many Dangerous Chemicals are in Your Shampoo (Including Your Organic and Baby Shampoo!)?
Four Common but Toxic Chemicals to Avoid During Pregnancy, Pre-Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Sources
EWG Report, Body Burden – The Pollution in Newborns
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)